Between Two Worlds, Vol 2

by Upton Sinclair

World's End Series-great historical novel of the 20th century. Volume 2.

428 pages, Paperback

First published January 17, 2011

About the author

Upton Beall Sinclair, Jr. was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle (1906). To gather information for the novel, Sinclair spent seven weeks undercover working in the meat packing plants of Chicago. These direct experiences exposed the horrific conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry, causing a public uproar that contributed in part to the passage a few months later of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. The Jungle has remained continuously in print since its initial publication. In 1919, he published The Brass Check, a muckraking exposé of American journalism that publicized the issue of yellow journalism and the limitations of the “free press” in the United States. Four years after the initial publication of The Brass Check, the first code of ethics for journalists was created. Time magazine called him "a man with every gift except humor and silence." In 1943, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Sinclair also ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Socialist, and was the Democratic Party nominee for Governor of California in 1934, though his highly progressive campaign was defeated.

Reviews

[Patrick]

I read both "World's End" and "Between Two Worlds" one after the other since the two novels are bound together as three of Upton Sinclair's series featuring Lanny Budd. "Dragon's Teeth" is the third one, and I think there are about ten in total. I am not going to continue straight into "Dragon's Teeth" because I have had enough of Lanny for the time being. Not that I dislike Lanny or Upton Sinclair's stories that reflect the history surrounding Lanny's adventures. In the contrary, Lanny is introduced as a "rich kid" teen-age American living on the French Mediterranean coast in the days leading up to what is now known as World War I. As a youth, Lanny forms friendships with many Europeans, including German and English youths, and matures into an aficionado of classical music, dance and art. These friends, plus Lanny's mother, his capitalist and prosperous father and his socialist-leaning uncle, become the main vehicles to project views regarding capitalism vs. socialism and war-related events from multiple perspectives. Novel number two, "Between Two Worlds," presents an historical narrative of the period anteceding the World War and leading into the many international meetings and conferences that proved unsuccessful in settling the differences between the European adversaries. Through his contacts with youthful friends who are now adults and contacts and internships with American governmental participants, the author found a vehicle to get inside many of them. The characters present conflicting socialist and capitalist arguments for solutions to a worldwide dilemma. As time marches on, Lanny becomes successful as a businessman and must then confront the collapse of the stock market and figure what to do next. It's a happy ending for him and his new (and fabulously rich) wife -- back to the French Riviera! What else?
The next novel ("Dragon's Teeth") must surely include the rise of Mussolini and Hitler - and the near certainty that his boyhood friends will be on opposite sides of the conflagration. And what will Lanny's participation include? At this point, I say "Who knows?" So, YES. I will read the continuing saga in the subsequent Lanny Budd novels. But not right away. I need a break to read some more contemporary novels - and only partly because I received the latest Grisham novel as a Xmas gift.
This all being said: Upton Sinclair is an absolute master of the English language. The prose is often poetic in nature and impact. There were several times during these 1400 pages that I stopped and reread a page or two, just to appreciate his masterful presentation. His words were written more than 60 years (70?) ago. Good prose lives forever. I personally think he ranks with D.H. Lawrence.
But the prose is not the sole merit of Sinclair's work. His storytelling and accuracy of historical details are also remarkable. Yes. I will eventually read all of the Lanny Budd novels.